Men As Leaders Empowered to Strive (MALES) Mentor Program
NSCC’s Men As Leaders Empowered to Strive (MALES) is designed to increase college access, enrollment, retention and success of male students of color, particularly young, low-income Latino and African American men residing in Lynn, MA 01902, so that their prospects for success in college and career are more attainable.
Participants are: 1st-generation college students and/or from a low-income family; first year college students; and matriculated at NSCC. Students explore what it means to be a minority male in college; identify the importance of a college education & support service needs; improve their math and computer skills, and learn the importance of financial literacy.
Results for this pilot project have been favorable. For the 15 initial MALES Summer Bridge program participants, 93% of the first cohort completed the program and transitioned to NSCC for fall 2018. This is a much higher conversion rate when compared to students who did not participate in the program. Men participating in the MALES program have a higher retention rate (63%) from fall to Spring, than non-participating black males (61%). Also, their credit completion rate (81%) for fall is higher than the completion rate of black males not participating in the program (75%). And they have 64% enhanced math placement and an 85% applicant to enrolled conversion rate
Further, participants in the MALES program attend full time in higher number (58%), compared to (44%) for all males and (41%) of minority males.
MALES supports the 100 Males to College strategic state initiative and directly addresses educational equity, improving the representation of underserved populations and reducing gaps in student success outcomes for racial/ethnic subgroups.